Toyota Sienna: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Toyota Sienna: 14 model years scored from 1,815 NHTSA owner complaints and 70 recall campaigns. Worst year 2011, best year 2020.
Toyota Sienna: which years to avoid
Across 10 scored model years the Toyota Sienna ranges from 28/100 in 2011 to 88/100 in 2020 — a 60-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Sienna at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Air Bags (211 of them).
Avoid: 2011 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2011 Sienna, which scores 28 on 612 complaints, 211 of them Air Bags and 154 Structure, with twelve recall campaigns. Buy a 2018 to 2020, which score 76, 77 and 88 on 69, 45 and 38 complaints, or the 2016 at 83 on 75. The third generation opened badly and improved slowly: the 2012 (247 complaints) and 2015 (230) are CAUTION years, and the 2013 and 2014 sit at 69 and 72. Air Bags is the passenger-side inflator module campaigns, four of which touch the 2011 alone, and Structure is the power sliding door campaign 16V858000, which covers every van from 2011 to 2016 and is why Structure leads the component table in each of those years. The 2017 changes shape: Power Train leads at 36, and the year carries ten campaigns, six safety-critical, including 18V211000 for the brake vacuum pump and the fuel pump campaigns 20V012000 and 20V682000 that run to 2020. The 2022 to 2025 vans have no complaints on record.
Read the guide
Used Toyota Sienna: the years to avoid and the years to buy — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2020 (score 88). Worst: 2011 (score 28, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | DATA PENDING | $2,230 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | — | DATA PENDING | $2,370 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | DATA PENDING | $2,510 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | DATA PENDING | $2,650 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 88 | BUY | $4,300 | 38 | 2 |
| 2019 | 77 | BUY | $4,292 | 45 | 7 |
| 2018 | 76 | BUY | $4,474 | 69 | 7 |
| 2017 | 58 | CAUTION | $4,773 | 153 | 10 |
| 2016 | 83 | BUY | $4,882 | 75 | 5 |
| 2015 | 61 | CAUTION | $5,276 | 230 | 6 |
| 2014 | 72 | BUY | $5,278 | 163 | 6 |
| 2013 | 69 | CAUTION | $5,427 | 183 | 6 |
| 2012 | 58 | CAUTION | $5,634 | 247 | 9 |
| 2011 | 28 | AVOID | $6,364 | 612 | 12 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Sienna, through the years →
Sienna sub-models & family
What goes wrong on the Toyota Sienna
Across every Sienna model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Structure424 complaints across all Sienna years · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair$1,070–$2,920
- Air Bags340 complaints across all Sienna years · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement$600–$1,700
- Unknown Or Other256 complaints across all Sienna years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Electrical System218 complaints across all Sienna years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Power Train100 complaints across all Sienna years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Wheels72 complaints across all Sienna years · typical job: Wheel bearing or hub replacement$460–$920
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Toyota Sienna years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2011 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2011 is the weakest at 28/100, with its complaints concentrated in Air Bags.
What are the best Toyota Sienna years to buy?
2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2020 at 88/100, on 38 complaints and 2 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Toyota Sienna problem?
424 of the complaints filed against the Sienna across all its model years sit in the Structure group — more than any other component.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04